**The way we live, work, and socialise is changing—where is everyone now, and what does it mean for our well-being?**
My name is Talia, and I'm a Bachelor of Psychology (Honours) student at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. Together with Dr James Collett, I am conducting a research study to explore how time spent in, and the diversity of, different environments—such as home, workplace, school campus, as well as physical and virtual social spaces—impacts well-being, loneliness, and burnout.
^(This study has been approved by the RMIT University Human Research Ethics Committee | Approval No. 26565)
**What's Involved?**
* An **Anonymous Survey** that takes about **10 Minutes** to complete.
**Interested?**
1. Click the link: [How Does Place Engagement Impact Well-Being, Loneliness, and Burnout?](https://rmit.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_24YwUPtcgVmElWm)
2. Read the **Participant Information Sheet.**
3. If you are **18+** and choose to participate, you can provide your consent and begin the survey right away!
**☆ Thank You! ☆**
Your time and input mean so much to us!
*For more information, please contact Talia Blackwood at* [*[email protected]*](mailto:[email protected])
A few weeks ago, I bought a [tuxedo](https://www.spierandmackay.com/product/midnight-navy---tuxedo-8158-tx01) from Spier and Mackay during their sale. I thought it was going to be a great suit that I could use for my wedding.
When I got the suit, the pants were completely mouldy as you can see [here](https://imgur.com/a/fdcY3hp).
This is shocking! How does this even happen? This is a complete health hazard too.
Has anyone else had this issue with Spier & Mackay? I thought they were reputable, but this is beyond unacceptable. Curious to hear if others have had quality control nightmares like this.
Will update with their response, but right now, I’m honestly speechless. This has never happen to before
Hi! I bought a portable Bluetooth speaker and I want to use it like a regular speaker.
What I mean is, I want it to stay off normally but turn on when power is plugged in.
To explain a bit more for better understanding, I'm building a guitar pedalboard and I've added this Bluetooth speaker to it. Through the aux line, of course. I just want the speaker to turn on when I power up the guitar pedalboard. And turn off when I power down. It's too cumbersome to turn it on and off separately.
Is this kind of modification possible?
Hi everyone,
I wanted to post on here just to rant over the shit I have been going through for months with Walmart. Since the end of September, I've been going through some big health issues and have changed departments due to the health afflictions that are affecting me and I still feel like Walmart does not want me there. I used to work back in online grocery pick up and I was bullied out of the back by my coach. I had originally talked to the store manager about getting my health issues organized and making sure they were up-to-date on everything and she went behind my back and told my coach a twisted story so, long story short my coach didn't believe I was going through health issues and was mistreating me greatly along with others who suffer health issues and on top of that he still hasn't been fired for the twenty plus reports on him. Now most of the original OGP team has quit or switched departments. I moved departments in hopes of not dealing with him just to end up dealing with more bullshit. Today I was talked to about staying away from customer service even though I was trained on money services and returns. It's always one thing after another. Walmart is a shitty ass company to work for. I will hopefully be done with school soon so I can leave the fucking soul sucking corporation. Thanks for listening to my Ted talk.
Is it me or are they focusing too much on path of the champions. I know you guys want to add a story base mode, but don’t neglect the actual game. No new cards are getting added or they’re getting slowly put in. It’s just annoying. Also, so a very important thing what happened to gauntlet like, I have four decks ready to go for gauntlet then they take it away. I asked and you know what he said it was seasonal. What do you mean seasonal it’s been there for four years.
I’ve been moderating on Gerg’s Minecraft server since last April, I never really had to deal with the guy because there was an admin running the server for him (and paying for it too).
After some videos in April and May Gerg kind of forgot about the Minecraft server and we all had fun, then in late December he came back to make a video and immediately started pissing off the players and staff by his absolute lack of care about the server, destroying and moving builds without warning (you wont see any of that in the video, but he does make some terrible jokes and shows edited screenshots of some player’s reactions, making them appear as attention seeking imo).
As time passes and Gerg is bringing more and more his friends into play (a bunch of idiots who kept messing up with commands, one even crashed the server by placing a billion blackstone with world edit) and gives them op despite the server admin telling him not to.
Then if you remember he made a stupid tweet about tommy’s video on techno, now I gave him the benefit of the doubt at that point because I knew he was pretty dumb and there was a legit chance he didn’t know who tommyinit was (that was his defense, he thought tommy was one of the vultures milking techno’s death) and tweeted without watching the video.
But apart from a couple of stupid jokes and him generally being a bit of an asshole to work with he didn’t do anything that bad at this point.
Then he decided to make great changes to the Minecraft server, planning to move the world border around (leaving all the old builds out of the map) but allowing ppl to keep their stuff. The whole playerbase got up in arm against this and many moderators (including myself) threatened to quit over the issue (it was the last straw of him not listening to other ppl’s opinions for me).
As luck would have it the admin choose that moment to pull out leaving me with the message “funny thing, gerg doesn't listen to me either”, leaving the server one week before shutting it down. That was Monday. A group of people who had been protesting the world border change got together and formed a refugee server and started sharing stuff, among which came a screenshot of Gerg crashing out and saying the n word. Now this screenshot had been circulating a bit before and Gerg and his friend assured it was forged with a whole story behind it. However, one of the discord admins (basically the only one along with the Minecraft admin with a brain) came to the refugee server and confirmed the screenshot was real.
This prompted some of the discord moderators to unleash hell on the discord by unbanning a bunch of people and giving everyone admin access, after revealing the n word screenshot. Chaos ensued but Gerg did get it under control at some point, at the cost of EVERY SINGLE CHANNEL. Also, Gerg’s friend found the admin who ratted Gerg out and he has left discord altogether (which doesn’t sound good because Gerg and his friends come from 4chan).
Following this I decided to go back to the discord server and expose Greg again (I was able to show the confirmation now because the admin disappeared). And just after this Gerg decided to delete his discord server.
Minecraft server IP if you wanna grief, its gonna close anyways and I think theres a command block banning ppl regardless: [play.gerg.world](http://play.gerg.world)
Here's some screenshots, I censored the nword
Sadly I would have brought more proofs but Gerg did delete all the channels of his server and then deleted it so…
Anyways Gerg is a racist asshole.
Ich habe früher immer über das russische Fernsehen gelacht, wenn ich bei meinen Eltern war. Dort wurde mal gezeigt, wie Passanten bei irgendeinem Treffen mit Putin vor Freude geweint haben und ihn umarmt haben, oder dass ein Bild von ihm an der Wand in irgendeinem Büro hing (weiß nicht mehr in welchem Zusammenhang). Dachte sowas könnte in Deutschland niemals passieren. Aber wenn ich mir jetzt die ganzen blauen Herzchen ansehe und Menschen die AFD wie bedingungslose Helden feiern, bin ich mir bald nicht mehr sicher, ob sie nicht auch bedruckte Kopfkissen mit Weidelgesicht haben werden...
Wieso glaubt ihr auf einmal an das Wunder in Politikergestalt? Hilfeee🥴
* Wall Street played it safe on Tuesday, with the S&P 500 barely budging as traders digested Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s testimony. Powell signaled no rush to cut rates, reinforcing expectations that March will be another hold. Meanwhile, tariffs and trade tensions lingered in the background, keeping investors on edge.
* The Dow managed a 123-point gain, lifted by Apple and IBM, while the Nasdaq slipped 0.4% as Tesla and Nvidia dragged tech stocks lower. With Powell’s remarks setting a cautious tone, all eyes are now on tomorrow’s CPI report to see if inflation throws another wrench into rate-cut expectations.
# Winners & Losers
# What’s up 📈
* **Lattice Semiconductor** climbed 7.66% following a strong Q4 revenue beat, reporting $117.4 million vs. $117.1 million expected. ($LSCC)
* **DuPont de Nemours** gained 6.85% after posting better-than-expected Q4 earnings of $1.13 per share, topping estimates of $0.98. ($DD)
* **Ecolab** rose 6.22% following a Q4 beat, with $1.81 EPS vs. $1.80 expected and revenue of $4.01 billion surpassing estimates. ($ECL)
* **Coca-Cola** jumped 4.73% after reporting Q4 earnings of $0.55 per share, beating the $0.52 consensus estimate, alongside higher-than-expected revenue. ($KO)
* **AutoNation** moved up 1.3% after the auto retailer surpassed Wall Street estimates with a Q4 profit of $4.97 per share. ($AN)
# What’s down 📉
* **Fidelity National Information Services** plunged 11.5% after posting weaker-than-expected Q4 revenue and softer-than-expected guidance. ($FIS)
* **Astera Labs** sank 10.89% despite surpassing Q4 earnings expectations, as weaker-than-expected forward guidance weighed on shares. ($ALAB)
* **Coty** dropped 9.3% after missing Q2 earnings and revenue estimates while warning of foreign exchange headwinds in 2025. ($COTY)
* **Marriott International** fell 5.4% after issuing lower-than-expected 2025 earnings guidance, citing economic uncertainty in China. ($MAR)
* **Humana** dipped 3.6% after issuing weaker-than-expected full-year earnings guidance, despite beating Q4 estimates. ($HUM)
# Tesla Drops After BYD Partners With DeepSeek
Tesla just can’t catch a break. Shares tumbled 6% on Tuesday, extending a five-day losing streak that’s erased over $200 billion in market value. The latest blow came from Chinese EV giant BYD, which announced a partnership with DeepSeek to roll out advanced driver-assistance tech across nearly all of its new models—at no extra cost. While Tesla is still charging $99/month for its Full Self-Driving software (which requires constant supervision), BYD is handing out self-driving capabilities like Oprah giving away cars. The move underscores just how much Tesla’s dominance in AI-powered driving is slipping.
**Musk’s Side Quest: OpenAI**
If that wasn’t enough, Musk is back in the spotlight for yet another outside venture—this time leading a $97.4 billion bid to take over OpenAI. While Tesla has rebranded itself as a “physical AI” company, analysts are questioning whether Musk’s latest distraction is helping or hurting. Oppenheimer analysts weren’t shy about their concerns, calling the move a “distraction from Tesla’s challenges” at a time when competition in the EV space is heating up. Meanwhile, Waymo is quietly expanding its robotaxi service, securing a key edge in autonomous driving while Tesla remains stuck in regulatory limbo.
**The Market’s Verdict**
Morgan Stanley is still bullish on Tesla, setting a $430 price target, but the broader sentiment is shifting. Oppenheimer warns that rising competition from BYD and other AI-driven automakers could squeeze Tesla’s future profits. Even Tesla’s longtime advantage—brand power—is showing cracks, with vehicle registrations dropping sharply in key markets like California and Europe.
**Bottom Line**
Tesla is facing a two-front war: competition from Chinese automakers slashing prices and rolling out superior tech, and Musk’s ever-growing list of side projects pulling his attention away from the company that made him a household name. Investors aren’t panicking just yet, but as Tesla’s once-dominant AI edge erodes, the clock is ticking on how long it can hold its lead.
# Market Movements
* 🎖️ **Anduril Takes Over Microsoft’s $22B U.S. Army Headset Program:** Defense-tech startup Anduril will assume control of Microsoft’s augmented reality headset project for the U.S. Army, overseeing production and development. Microsoft will continue to provide cloud and AI capabilities, while Anduril awaits Department of Defense approval. ($MSFT)
* 📉 **GM Plans to Mitigate Up to 50% of Tariff Impact, Ford Calls It ‘Chaos’:** General Motors expects to reduce the impact of President Trump’s proposed tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports by up to 50% without deploying capital. Meanwhile, Ford CEO Jim Farley warned that the tariffs are creating industry-wide “chaos” and adding significant costs. ($GM, $F)
* 🏠 **Powell Warns Insurance Crisis Could Make Mortgages Unavailable in Some Areas:** Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell cautioned that banks and insurers may stop providing mortgages in disaster-prone regions over the next decade. Rising climate risks have already led insurers to pull out of fire-prone and coastal areas, potentially reshaping the housing market.
* 📱 **Apple Partners with Alibaba for AI Features in China:** Apple is collaborating with Alibaba to introduce AI-powered tools for iPhone users in China, moving away from Baidu due to development delays. The partnership aims to reclaim market share as Apple faces growing competition from Huawei. ($AAPL, $BABA)
* 🥤 **Coca-Cola Beats Q4 Earnings Estimates:** Coca-Cola reported Q4 earnings of $0.55 per share, exceeding estimates of $0.52. Revenue rose 6% to $11.54 billion, surpassing forecasts of $10.68 billion, driven by strong global demand. Shares climbed 2% premarket. ($KO)
* 🛢️ **BP Q4 Profits Plunge 48% as Refining Margins Weaken:** BP reported Q4 underlying profit of $1.17 billion, down 48% year-over-year. The company announced a $1.75 billion share buyback and plans to scale back renewable investments while increasing oil and gas production. ($BP)
* 💉 **Novartis Acquires Anthos for Up to $3.1B:** Novartis will acquire Anthos Therapeutics from Blackstone for up to $3.1 billion, expanding its cardiovascular portfolio. The deal includes a $925 million upfront payment and up to $2.15 billion in milestone-based payments. ($NVS)
* 🏨 **Hyatt Buys Playa Hotels & Resorts for $2.6B:** Hyatt is acquiring Playa Hotels & Resorts for $2.6 billion,expanding in Mexico and the Caribbean. The deal values Playa at a 40.5% premium to its December 20 closing price. Hyatt plans to sell Playa’s owned properties, targeting $2 billion in asset sales by 2027. ($H)
# Elliott Turns Up the Heat on Phillips 66
Activist investor Elliott Investment Management is back at it, this time taking aim at oil refiner Phillips 66. After increasing its stake to over $2.5 billion, Elliott is demanding the company sell or spin off its pipeline business, arguing that the move could fetch a valuation north of $40 billion. The firm, known for its aggressive shakeups, also wants new independent board members and a tighter focus on refining.
**The Case for a Split**
Phillips 66 has been under pressure since Elliott first got involved in 2023, when it revealed a $1 billion stake and pushed for operational improvements. While the company has made some concessions—like selling $2.7 billion in assets and adding one Elliott-backed board member—the activist firm argues that progress has been too slow. Phillips 66’s stock is down roughly 11% over the past year, lagging behind broader market gains of 21%, making Elliott’s call for change more urgent.
**Elliott’s Track Record**
Elliott isn’t new to the energy sector. The firm has successfully pressured companies like Suncor and Hess to streamline operations and boost shareholder returns. And Phillips 66 isn’t the only oil giant in its crosshairs—reports suggest Elliott has also built a stake in BP, urging it to double down on oil and gas instead of its broader green energy push.
So far, Phillips 66 is playing it cool. The company insists it’s “on the right path” and points to strong 2024 results as proof. But with Elliott now one of its top five shareholders and the activist’s influence growing across the industry, the pressure to make big changes isn’t going away.
**Bottom Line:** Elliott’s push for Phillips 66 to offload its pipeline business isn’t just about unlocking value—it’s about forcing the company to rethink its entire strategy. But Elliott isn’t known for making empty threats—if Phillips 66 drags its feet, expect the activist to escalate its campaign, potentially pushing for boardroom changes or a leadership shake-up. Either management moves or Elliott forces their hand.
#
# On The Horizon
# Tomorrow
Tomorrow’s main event: the Consumer Price Index (CPI) report.
This inflation gauge tracks price changes across everything from groceries to gas, but all eyes are on car prices, which have stayed stubbornly high. Economists expect inflation to hold steady, with a 0.3% monthly bump in January, keeping the annual rate at 2.9%. Core inflation (excluding food and energy) is also forecasted to rise 0.3% month-over-month, landing at 3.1% for the year.
While CPI will dominate headlines, earnings season isn’t taking a backseat. Heavy hitters like CVS Health ($CVS), Vertiv Holdings ($VRT), Kraft Heinz ($KHC), Barrick Gold ($GOLD), Dominion Energy ($D), CME Group ($CME), and Dutch Bros ($BROS) are all set to report.
# After Market Close:
* **Robinhood Markets** tried to cash in on America’s love for sports betting, but the CFTC shut that down fast. No worries—Robinhood still has the stock and crypto crowd hooked, and with markets swinging wildly, trading volumes are likely up. The firm also rolled out new events contracts just in time for the presidential election, giving investors even more to bet on. Analysts expect a strong quarter, with consensus calling for $0.53 EPS on $930.22 million in revenue. ($HOOD)
* **Reddit** is Wall Street’s new social media darling, with shares skyrocketing 395% since its March 2024 IPO. A lucrative AI deal with Alphabet and its dominance in real search results (just add “Reddit” to a Google query) have fueled massive revenue growth. The valuation looks stretched, but after consistently crushing expectations, shorting this one might not be the smartest move. Consensus: $0.23 EPS, $403.15 million in revenue. ($RDDT)
It was my only opportunity to get in. It's not even that bad that I didn't. Whatever unit I'll he sent to will be very similar and I'll be going with a huge group of friends and people I know.
But I worked hard to pass. I went to the tryout and didn't give up.
I feel disappointed that I wasn't good enough.
Hey everyone! 👋
With AI making huge strides in creative fields, I’m curious—what AI-powered tools are you all using in your 3D workflow? Whether it’s for modeling, texturing, rendering, or even project organization, I’d love to hear what’s been useful (or not so useful) in your pipeline.
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/backstories/3811/
I found this article interesting because it could definitely lead to big changes here regarding security measures at various stores. In fact, it is starting to happen in my area at certain stores, with additional “select” merchandise now only accessible by asking a customer service worker or cashier. This increase in theft will drive up prices that are already getting higher, among other changes.
So some "friends" are going out to the bar to celebrate another "friend" birthday, they all seem to know when they're going out, and one of these so-called "friends" asked if I was going out. But it seems weird because the actual "friend" hasn't even mentioned this nor informed me of this at all. What should I do? Go out and risk showing up uninvited, or stay back home and fall on the excuse of not being directly invited? To me, it seems they have some sort of group chat without me. I do not consider these people true friends based on their care to reach out or do anything besides drink our lives away.
My dad was diagnosed 4 months ago with extensive SCLC. He has done 6 rounds of chemo successfully shrinking most of his tumors. But There is one on a bone that remains unchanged. His oncologist sent him to a radiation oncologist to see if they should do radiation to target this specific tumor. The dr said no. His regular oncologist told him while the chemo did everything we could have hoped for his cancer will come back it’s just a matter of when and we knew that going in. I’m curious if anyone has similar experiences with an unchanged tumor and drs have opted not to treat. I am assuming the potential side effects do not outweigh the benefit and that why he said no. My dad was happy to hear no radiation but I don’t think it is good news.
